July
20 #2 - Echavarri: Pereiro won the jackpot, Attacking
is the only solution for Sastre, Schleck: We had to believe in Carlos,
Axel Merckx: When you're empty, you're empty, Marc Sergeant: Still surprises
to come, All for nothing for Leipheimer, "No explanation" for Hincapie,
Tour a survival test for Gerrans, Post-stage quotes

July
20 - Stage 16 wrap-up, An interview with the
maillot jaune, An interview with the winner, An interview with
Floyd Landis, Cyril Dessel gives his regrets to Phonak

July
19 #3 - Sunderland: Patience pays off for Schleck,
Gerolsteiner: In illness and in health, up l'Alpe, Armstrong talks doping

July
6 #2 - An interview with stage 4 winner, Wiggins
almost wiggles out a win, Third top ten finish for Eisel, Valverde wants
to come back for the Vuelta, T-Mobile car searched

July
6 - Stage 4 wrap-up, An interview with Floyd
Landis, Boogerd ready to Boogie-Woogie, Wilfried Cretskens diary: What
I do, Millar will get to Paris, Any rider supporting Portugal at the TdF?,
Just over 1 day left to join Fantasy Le Tour

June
28 #2 - Ullrich to sue newspaper and do DNA test?,
Astana Würth bound for Strasbourg, but no team presentation, Gerolsteiner's
double hopes - two captains, two goals, Jalabert going for July 14 win,
Davitamon-Lotto gets a cook for the Tour

Recently on Cyclingnews.com

Tour de France Cycling News Extra for July 16, 2006

Record to be set in 2006 Tour?

Oscar Pereiro’s new leadership of the Tour de France brings the total
number of different yellow jersey wearers to seven this year, and makes
the setting of a new record more than possible.

Coming up on

Cyclingnews will cover the 60th edition of
the Dauphiné Libéré live
as of stage 4 on Wednesday, June 10, at approximately 15:00 local Europe
time (CEST)/ 23:00 Australian time (CDT)/ 9:00 (USA East).

WAP-enabled mobile devices: http://live.cyclingnews.com/wap/

So far Thor Hushovd, George Hincapie, Tom Boonen, Serguei Gonchar, Cyril
Dessel, Floyd Landis and Pereiro have all worn the maillot jaune. Only
at the Tours of 1958 and 1987 have there been more overall leaders, with
eight.

The more recent of these editions saw Jelle Nijdam, Lech Piasecki, Erich
Mächler, Charly Mottet, Martial Gayant, Jean-François Bernard and Pedro
Delgado all enjoy stints in the yellow jersey before Stephen Roche reclaimed
it in the final time trial.

Pereiro isn’t regarded as a likely winner of the Tour, although if he
climbs better in the Alps than in the Pyrenees, he could well improve
on his best overall placing of tenth, achieved in both 2004 and
2005. It is likely that the maillot jaune will once again change
hands sometime between now and Paris.

A total of seven stages remain in the race. Should someone other than
Landis be the next to wear yellow, that will equal the previous records.
Another change will then total nine different maillots jaune, setting
a new mark.

Hinault: "Landis still needs to finish it"

By Brecht Decaluwé in Montélimar

Coming up on

Cyclingnews will cover the 60th edition of
the Dauphiné Libéré live
as of stage 4 on Wednesday, June 10, at approximately 15:00 local Europe
time (CEST)/ 23:00 Australian time (CDT)/ 9:00 (USA East).

WAP-enabled mobile devices: http://live.cyclingnews.com/wap/

For tactical reasons, Floyd Landis gave away his yellow jersey to
Oscar Pereiro Sio in stage
13. The Spanish rider already finished twice as tenth in the previous
editions of the Tour de France. Cyclingnews asked five time Tour
de France winner Bernard Hinault what he thought about Landis giving away
the yellow jersey.

"Landis decides on that, but it's not bad. We don't care as we see real
attackers like Jens Voigt winning stages. But still, Landis needs to finish
it in the end."

The monument of French cycling understood the tactics of Floyd Landis,
but he questioned them at the same time. "Every time Landis allows riders
to come back in GC who might be dangerous tomorrow. Yesterday he allowed
Popovych to come back to about five minutes. Today he allows another rider
to take the yellow jersey. It's no problem for me of course, but it might
be a dangerous gamble to give those guys a second chance in this Tour
de France."

Chavanel: "Why not again tomorrow?"

Sylvain Chavanel is known for his attacks, this year we had to wait
until stage 13 before he got into a successful escape. Unfortunately,
the French rider couldn't finish the work in Montélimar. "There are still
some chances to come, so why not try again tomorrow? That should be possible
as we didn't ride that fast today, so I must have enough energy left."

The advantage of almost thirty minutes must have felt quite exceptional.
"We also had such an advantage a few years ago but that was with a big
group. With the five of us, it felt different."

The big time gap between the escape and the peloton also lifted Chavanel
towards a top-20 spot in the GC. "I really didn't think about my GC (laughs),
I was only focused on the stage win today. I don't know what to say; I'm
really very disappointed. I'll try again... but [my new placing on GC]
will prevent me from being able to escape again. I've been trying and
trying for years now... I always enjoy hearing my name on the roadside.
These fans aren't only there in my hours of glory, but also in difficult
moments. I hope that my son, who is one and a half years old, saw me on
television and cheered me on!

In the finale, he said, "I didn't want to be the first to attack. Grivko
tried as first and he lost it." Afterwards the French rider tried himself
but was caught by Quinziato. The Italian rider brought everybody, except
for Grivko, back together. With ten kilometres to go, the Lampre rider
tried it again. "When Quinziato attacked I still didn't panic and let
him ride."

Pereiro attacked for the first time with five kilometres to go, followed
by Voigt. Chavanel couldn't react to that acceleration, and accepted it.
"Voigt and Pereiro Sio managed to get away in the end, so they must have
been the strongest riders in the group."

"Oscar is a Hollywood star," French champion says

By Jean-François Quénet in Montélimar

Now with French bank Caisse d'Épargne as a title sponsor, the former
Illes Balears team came to the Tour de France with the intention of taking
the yellow jersey, just as in Banesto's good old days with Miguel Indurain.
Their historical team manager, José Miguel Echevarri, was almost in tears
in the media bus when he realized that Oscar Pereiro would become the
new leader of the Tour de France.

Their two French riders Florent Brard and Nicolas Portal didn't believe
their eyes when they crossed the line half an hour after their captain.
"I never rode for a big leader before and I came to the Tour with the
dream of racing with the yellow jersey on my wheel," Portal had declared
in Valkenburg when he was sad because of Alejandro Valverde's crash. That
day, Echevarri stated, "Our building is down but we still have the support
beams and other GC riders to work for." He didn't state any name but he
was clearly referring to Pereiro who came 10th in the Tour last year.

"I'm very proud of what Oscar did today, Portal said after the finish.
It's a relief for us. After Valverde's crash, we put our hopes onto Oscar
(Pereiro) and Vladimir (Karpets)." Brard added. "Oscar was known for having
one bad day in a three-weeks race. He had it in the col de Portillon,
but after that stage to Pla de Beret, he told us, "Now there will not
be a breakaway without me." He almost made it yesterday. Today, he was
so up for it that he started the stage on the first row. He deserves what's
happening. He's a hard worker.

"Oscar always smiles and jokes, he's happy to do this job, he's a real
Spaniard," Portal reckoned. Brard didn't fully agree with that comment:
"Oscar is the only Spanish rider I meet at breakfast, everyone else wakes
up too late. I'm happy for him to be in yellow now. It's a big surprise,
just as big as our disappointment when we lost Valverde. He's a Hollywood
star. He's the guy who struts. He's highly motivated. Now it'll be interesting
to see what happens in the Alps. There's no longer Lance Armstrong to
rule the race. It's better for the spectacle."

Another Eisel top 10

Bernhard Eisel of Française des Jeux finished second in the group sprint
in stage 13, 30 minutes behind the winner, his seventh top ten finish
in the Tour. "It was another quiet stage. At the beginning I wanted to
get in an escape group, but I just didn't have the legs for it," he said.
"With these oven-like temperatures averaging 36 degrees and a high of
41 degrees Celsius, everybody had heavy legs today. It went well in the
sprint, but I couldn't get past McEwen. But I'm still very satisfied with
my performance."

New jersey for Fothen

"That was a damned long and hot day," said best young rider Marcus Fothen
(Gerolsteiner) at the finish. "My white jersey is totally soaked through.
But at the awards ceremony I'll get a new one and can wear it again tomorrow."